Music publishers sue Bertelsmann over Napster funding

Group of music publishers in the U.S. have sued the German media giant Bertelsmann over its investment to now-defunct Napster.

Publishers and songwriters named in the suit as plaintiffs argue that by investing over $80M to Napster, Bertelsmann gave Napster a lifeline that allowed it to continue violating authors' copyrights in massive scale.

The plaintiffs seek damages of over $17 billion. Bertelsmann declined to comment the lawsuit today.